TIME-VARYING CORRELATES OF ADULT SINGLEHOOD: EDUCATION, WORK, LIVING ARRANGEMENTS, AND MENTAL HEALTH

Abstract

Using the Youth Development Study (n = 504 women and 421 men), we examine how changes in education, work, living arrangements (e.g., living with children, parents, and/or roommates), and mental health predict occasions in adulthood when respondents were single (i.e., not living with a spouse or cohabiting with an unmarried partner) from ages 21 to 38. The odds of singlehood were higher when individuals were living with parents or living with roommates. The odds were lower when living with children, as well as after earning a BA/BS degree. Overall, the correlates shed light on the growing population of single US adults.